Buy It: The Louis Vuitton Neverfull Handbag GM

I drastically underestimated the degree to which the Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM handbag would change my life (insert my husband rolling his eyes here). I’m writing this post is because this handbag entered my radar about a year ago and I delayed buying it because I couldn’t decide which print to go with and I (wrongfully) thought I didn’t need another Louis Vuitton handbag. I don’t want you to make the same mistake. There is a reason why the Louis Vuitton Neverfull is currently their best-selling handbag.

5 Reasons Why The Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM Works For Me

The Neverfull comes in three sizes with GM as the largest. The drawback? The Louis Vuitton Neverfull GM model is $980, but that is much, much less than the majority of Louis Vuitton handbags.

1. It can hold up to 200lbs. Now, I can’t carry 200lbs, but at least I know I can load up the bag without worry. I spoke with an executive from Louis Vuitton at their San Diego store opening a few months ago and he explained that they did put the bag through serious stress testing to come up with this number.

2. It holds my clunky laptop, DSLR camera, iPad and other random items with room to spare and without showing signs of stress. From the exterior, it still looks classy despite the heap of awkwardness lurking inside.

3. Despite the open top, things don’t spill out of it as I had imagined. Of course, if you up-end it your belongings will fly everywhere.

4. It fits underneath an airplane seat or in the overhead compartment. Close the gold buckle, tighten the sides and shove it in bottom first to prevent stuff from falling out.

5. I’m already sold on the durability of Louis Vuitton canvas. The oldest and most-loved member of my LV collection is a backpack that’s 12 years old. It’s carried a ridiculous amount of junk, been shoved and dropped in random places, and has lived on three continents with me. It still looks great.

The bottom line is that I can carry all of my stuff, feel less awkward about it, and still look good doing it.

Why I Chose Damier Ebene

Maybe it’s me, but I see luxury handbags trending toward minimal logos. Even though it’s heavier, I would have preferred this bag to come in the understated Epi leather. It doesn’t. Your choices are Monogram Idylle Canvas, Monogram Canvas and Damier Azure or Ebene. Temporarily, the gorgeous She’s So… collection features the Neverfull in Monogram with blue or pink handles. It’s so cute, but priced almost 50% higher. Anyway, I thought Damier Ebene was as understated as I could get, plus its the only one with a contrasting red interior.

Interestingly enough, I asked a few sales associates if I should choose the Daimier Azure (white) and they all, basically, said no. It’s lovely, but hard to keep clean if I was going to be shoving it in overhead compartments on airplanes.

After I purchased this bag, someone alerted me to problems other Louis Vuitton enthusiasts have with the leather splitting on the handles of Damier Ebene Neverfull bags. I haven’t experienced this but am pretty sure I could take the bag back in the event of disaster.

About Louis Vuitton’s Damier Print

Louis Vuitton says it best:

The design of Louis Vuitton’s Damier was the result of the creative spark that shined between Louis Vuitton and his son Georges Vuitton, who invented the canvas a year earlier in 1888.

Almost a century later, in 1998, the pattern was reintroduced as the Damier Ebène, and it has been one of the biggest successes of Louis Vuitton. A wide range of Damier canvases have been introduced since then: Damier Azur, Damier Graphite (for the 120th anniversary of the canvas), the embossed leather of Damier Infini or, more recently, the Damier Adventure and Damier Challenge.

One can be sure that with such a strong and recognizable pattern, the Maison Louis Vuitton will create new colorful interpretations in the future. But until then immerse yourself in the original Damier Canvas colors with this short stop-motion film introducing the latest Damier products.

Well, I’ve been pleased with the Damier. I have carried a ton of stuff in the bag and there haven’t been any structural issues to date. I still love it. But I love the monogram, too! The lady at the store talked me out of the Damier Azure though because of keeping it clean.

So far, not a crack in sight. I have really loaded it up too. We just traveled all around Asia for three weeks and it had my laptop, DSLR camera, iPad and all sorts of other heavy stuff in it. I’m really happy with it!

Great info! I never knew the Neverfull could handle 200lbs! Quality craftsmanship at its best! I love the damier print, much more subtle than the flashy LV- and subtle is very much me…..I purchased a new style about 6 months ago called the Portobello…hate it! $1700 down the toilet! Falls off my shoulder all the time. I should have gotten this one instead! : (

I love damier ebene too, mainly for the reasons you mentioned. I’m not a huge fan of flashy designer monograms and damier is recognizable to most people who know fashion but it’s not a walking billboard for the label! The only problem I have with my Speedy B is that it is a bit too dark for summer wear. I never have been a big fan of the Neverfull design (maybe too many girls at my e had them for me to want one) but I never knew it held 200 LBS!! WOW!

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I'm Katie Dillon, a freelance luxury travel writer who lives in seaside La Jolla, CA. This is where I document my recent trips around the world, the latest San Diego happenings and other fun lifestyle topics. Thanks for stopping by!